Vacuum cleaner



Jan. l0, 1939. s. FAGERBERG 2,143,144

' VACUUM CLEANER Filed Nov. 5, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

5A/ATTORNEY.

s. FAGERBERG 2,143,144

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Nov. 5, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. io, 1939 i y n ,g g 2,1 43,144

, UNITED sTATEsPA'ri-:NT ortica L VACUUM CLEANER Sven Fagerberg, Degeron, Sweden, assignor to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 5, 1936, Serial No.` 109,2l7

In Germany November 8, 1935 My invention relates to vacuum cleaners and motor 22. A fan rotor 23 is ilxed to the shaft 2d more particularly to an improved method, and of the electric motor and a dust separating wheel means for carrying out the method of separating 25 is secured to shaft 2i below fan 23. .dn armu-i dust from the air. lar partition 26 is secured within casing dfi, ian 23 So-called centrifugal separators, which rely being arranged to rotate within the space above upon the greater centrifugal force being eiierted the partition. The casing is provided with one or on particles of Adirt than on air molecules due to more outlet openings g2?. A conical member 2t is the greater mass of the former, are known and secured to or integral with partition 2d and is the present invention is an improvement over formed witha lower flange which bears against lo these known devices. rim I4 on member I3 when the parts areassem- 10 In accordance with my invention the air and bled. l dirt is acted upon by centrifugal forces arising The construction' of the dust separating wheel both from causing the air and dirt to ilow in a 2'5 is shown more in detail in Figs- 2, 3 and is The curved channel and from causing the channel wheel includes two parallel circular discs dit and l5 itself to rotate about a point eccentric with respectv 3i. A hub 32 is secured to disc il@ and is adapted l5 to center of curvature of the channel. to be fixed to shaft 2&3 of the motor. A plurality Further objects and advantages of my invention of cylinders 33, six in the embodiment shown, will be apparent from the following description extend between discs @il and 3i. Extending considered in connection with the accompanying around each cylinder 33 is a partition it having drawings which form a part of this specification end portions 35 extending substantially radially en and of which: with respect `to the center of the wheel and a Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one ernbodiu middle portion 36 which is substantially cylindriment of my invention; cal and concentric with the center of cylinder 33. Fig. 2 is a cross-'sectional view taken on lthe Middle portion 3B is provided with a pluralityoi line 2-2 of Fig. 3; perforatlons 3l. A partition iii extends from 25 Fig. 3 is across-sectional view taken on the line each cylindrical member 33 toward the center o 3--3 of Fig. 2; and the dust separating wheel and midway between Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing thev -eIld DOItiOnS 35- Disl iS DrOVided Withninle details cf the device illustrated in thc preceding opening 39 0n one Side of each partition itt. and

:zo figure. disc dll is provided with an outlet opening til on. ao

` Referring more particularly to Fig. l, reference the Opposite Side 0f each DSIOD 3@ Membels character l@ designates a rigid, preferably metal- 33. 34 and 33 Chus define between dSCS 3@ and 3i lic container. Container lo is provided with an a curved path 0f :HOW extending first outwardly inlet opening l l to which may be secured a fiamme from inlet 39 and then inwardly to outlet tb. An

:g5 hose or the like leading to a suitable suction extension 38a of partition 3@ connects the inner 35 nozzle. The container is formed with a bellend of the partition with that end portion 35 mouth i2 within which may be removably posiwhich is adjacent to outlet 6D. The other end of tioned a bowl-shaped member i3 having a circular the curved path, adjacent to inlett may be open rim il Carrying a packing fins i5- The central to the ccm-,cr space of the wheel below hun e2.

i. O Daft 0f member 53 Carries a tubular member m Openings 39 are in alignment with the upper open V40 i which is provided With a plurality of Openings n end of tubular member iii while openings dit! are new its @Per end which Communicate With the in alignment with the inici di of fari ia 'incre .Spb Wlg'm flebrber 3 NA pelra'tedd ffgllr are thus provided a plurality of curved pathsce of mem er may remova y posl me W1 m flow from tubular member it through openings ist,

member i, as shown. A coarse screen la is y 45 secured in anyV suitable manner across the lower the charme! Ormed between me'nbers E and 3Q open end of tubular membery i6 which communi am? openmgs fm to the inlet u of the im Disc Cates with the interim. of container m. Sill is formed with an cuter conical fiangedt which A housing w is removably positioned Un Daelim is parallel with, and closely adjacent to conical 5o ing ring iii and suitable clamping means may he Wall 3B- 50 provided for connecting housing do with container AS Shown in Fia 4, the rerforations 3l in memid, the packing ring i5 being compressed between bei. M may be fOlmed by Stamping Out the iriate-` the pwd Housing de carries a ring 2 tgprefemby rial of the member, the stamped portions it servoi electrical insulating material, from which is ing as tangential guide vanes. i supported in any suitable manner an electric lf the direction of air flow through the chanclockwise, as is shown in Fig. 3, the direction of rotation oi the wheel itself should also be counterclockwise. Obviously, both directions of rotation might be clockwise.

The above described device operates as follows:

The `rotation of ian rotor 23 causes air to be drawn in through inlet Il to within container it from where it passes through tubular member it to the inlet openings 38 ofthe` dust separator wheel 25. 'I'his air flows in six parallel paths through the six curved channels formed in the wheell and is discharged through openings 40 to the inlet 4i of the fan. The air is discharged from the ian into the space above partition 28 in housing 2li and passes therefrom to the atmosphere through outlet openings 2l.,

If inlet Il is connected toa suction `nozzle whichl is passed over a dusty surface. small particles of dust and dirtwill bey entrained with the air and carried into container i0.' Also large `particles such as pins, matches and threads or `the like will be drawn in with the air. Due to the sudden increase in cross-section oi container i as compared with that of inlet li there will be a sudden reduction in the velocity of ilow when the air and entrained particles enter the container and some oi theheavier particles may be precipitated therein. In any event, the aforesaid large particles will be stopped by screen i9 and prevented irom reaching dust. separatorwheel 25.

The air and dirt passing into the channels in the dust separator wheel through openings i9 are forced to travel in a curved path through these channels. Consequently, centrifugal force acts on' both the air molecules and the particles of dirt. At the same time, the channels `themselves are rotated at a high speed and an additional cen\ trifugal force is caused to act on both the particles and air molecules. Due to the much greater mass of the particles than of the air molecules. the action of the centrifugal force on the former is much greater than on the latter and the particles are thrown upwardly in the channels within thewheel and pass through the perforations 3l. A small percentage of the air will also pass through these periorations, but the greater percentage of the air is drawnby the fan through the opening-40 tow the inlet oi' the i'an.

The dust particles and the aforesaid small percentage of air are guided by conical ange 42 downwardly and through the perforations in cov'- er member I8. Within bowl-shaped member I3 substantially all of these. particles are precipitated, while the small percentage of air and some of the lighter particles which do not settle out, pass to they opening il and are again passed through vthe dust separator 25.

The air flowing from the dust separator through opening 4|! to the ian isfsubstantially free oi solid particles and may be discharged to the atmosphere through openings 27 without further treatment.

When it is desired to empty the accumulated dust, housing is released from container it,

. cover i8 is removed from bowl-shaped member 2,i48,144 nels in the dust separating wheel 2l is counterbe placed ahead'of the dust'sparator wheel 2B providing 'a curved lpath of flow for said air and particles, the curvature oi said path being continuously smooth, said means being formed with a radial opening, and means for rotating the rst mentioned meansl about a center eccentric with respect to the center of curvature oi' said curved path.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a rotatably mounted member, means for rotating said member, said -member being formed with a channel extending in the form of a continuously smooth curve from near the center oi' the member towards the periphery and baclr towards the center thereof, said member alsobeing formed with an opening extending radially outwardly fromv said channel, and means i'or producing flow oi.' air and entrained solid particles into said channel.

3. Ina vacuum cleaner, a rotatably mounted member, means for rotating said member, said member being formed with a curved channel ,l

extending from near the center of the member towards the periphery and back towards the center thereof, said member also being formed with an opening extending radially outwardly from 4said channel, means for producing flow of air and entrained solid particles intosaid channel, means deilning a settling chamber communicating with said opening, and means for conveying air i'rom said chamber to the air iiowing into said channel.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a rotatably mounted wh'eel having a plurality of curved channels therein. each channelv having an inlet opening and an outlet opening near the center of the wheel and each channel having a central portion disposed near the periphery of the wheel, means defining a settling chamber, said wheel being formed with radially extending openingsvconnecting the central portions of said channels with said settling chamber, means for supplying air and entrained solid particles to the inletopenings of said channels, means for conveying air from said settling chamber to said inlet openings, and

means for rotating said wheel.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, a rotatably mounted wheel having a plurality of curved channels therein, each channel having an inlet opening and an outlet opening near the center of the wheel and each channel having a central portion disposed near the periphery of the wheel, means defining a settling chamber, said wheel being formed with radially extending openings connecting the central portions of said channels with said settling chamber, a fan impeller having an inlet communicating with said outlet openings, means for conveying air and entrained solid particles to the inlet openings of said channels, means for conveying air from said settling chamber to said inlet openings, and means for rotating said wheel and said impeller.

6. A dust separating Wheelfor use in a vacuum cleaner including spaced circular parallel plates and curved partition means forming a plurality of arcuate channels between said plates. the

curvature of said plates and channels being continuously smooth, one of said plates having openings communicating with one end oi said channels, the other plate having openings communieating with the opposite ends of the respective channels, ali of said openings being near to the center of said wheel. said channels having intermediate portions adjacent to the periphery of said wheel, said ,partition means being formed with radial openings communicating with the intermediate portions of said channels.

i SVEN FAGERBERG. 

